be a protected species, kind of like the bald eagle or some kind of thing. that if anything is done it will kill -- i'm play someplace else, exactly. and 20 years ago, the "forbes" 400 had an aggregate wealth of $300 billion. now it's more than quintupled. that has not happened with the middle-class. >> jon: also, productivity of workers has doubled yet median income has stayed stagnant. >> yeah. yeah. >> very true. >> and i don't think the american public really understands that. it kind of snuck up on them. the tax rate -- i mean, you've got -- of the 400 highest incomes in the united states in 2009, the most recent years we have figures for, a quarter of the people paid taxes at a rate less than 15%. the payroll tax was 15.3% in that year. and six of them paid nothing at all. i mean, they weren't part of the 47%. -- they were part of the 47%. these people were big-time moochers. (applause). >> jon: oh, people are going to clap for that. we'll run out of time. but this idea that because in bangladesh and china they accept working conditions that americans would not consider optimal that you ca

will destroy america! this proposal is like stalin (bleep) ago bald eagle!" (laughter) i will guarantee you stalin was a harrier dude than that. guarantee it. (laughter) you know what? maybe it's time to stop the back-and-forth of offers. it's clear republicans aren't going to come to the table with anything remotely reasonable so i'll be the one to say it: i know it will be disastrous, i know it will doom our economy for years to come, but let's just go over the (bleep)ing cliff. fine. let's just go. just leave the negotiating table and send us over the cliff. because you know why? at least for a few seconds it will feel like we're flying. (laughter and applause) we'll be right back. !uoo >> jon: hey, welcome back! i hope you know the 2012 election was in large part a fight over demographics. the republicans taking pains even if at their convention to highlight the gender and ethnic diversity their party has traditionally done so well disguising. (laughter) and yet they lost. for some reason-- self-deportation-- president obama won a clear majority. -- the country half moochers-- (laughter

access.wgbh.org ["the colbert report" theme music playing] [eagle caw] [cheers and applause] >> stephen: welcome to the report. good to have you with us. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting see it fen's name] thank you, ladies and gentlemen. thank you so much. in return i want to wish all of you a merry christ-christmas. i say it that way, so if the atheists try to take the christ out of christmas, there's still one left. [ laughter ] and as you can see, my set is fully decked for the season. i've got my historically-accurate nativity scene featuring mary, joseph, frosty, and the abominable snowman. [ laughter ] i didn't include optimus prime because he does not appear in the king james version. [ laughter ] and instead of the baby jesus in the cradle, i have my book: "american again: rebecoming the greatness we never weren't." [ laughter ] [cheers and applause] folks, i want you to know -- unlike jesus, with my book, you won't have to wait a thousand years for the second edition. [ laughter ] speaking of books. papa bear bill o'reilly has been dominat

.wgbh.org ["the colbert report" theme music playing] [eagle caw] [cheers and applause]

Excerpts 0 to 13 of about 14 results.